Utah Democrats endorse Brian King for governor, Caroline Gleich for Senate at state convention
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Thousands of Utah Democrats gathered Saturday at Cottonwood High School to choose their candidates for the November ballot.
The Democratic Party state convention was an opportunity for delegates to hear from gubernatorial candidate Brian King, a longtime state representative who recently released a digital advertisement appealing to Utah voters of faith. The delegates also officially chose Caroline Gleich as their U.S. Senate candidate.
Here are the candidates who will move forward from the Democratic convention.
State Rep. Brian King will face Republican gubernatorial candidate in November
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Brian King, a state lawmaker representing Salt Lake City and former state House minority leader, was uncontested at the Democratic state convention, and will face the Republican gubernatorial candidate in November, likely Gov. Spencer Cox. The governor will face an opponent, state Rep. Phil Lyman of Blanding, in the June 25 primary.
In the days leading up to the convention, King released an ad where he called on Utahns not to cast their ballot based on voting tradition.
“I’m a Democrat because of my faith, not despite it,” King said at the beginning of the video. “Being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and a Democrat makes me a maverick.”
When he announced his run for governor in December, King told the Deseret News, “We simply deserve better in Utah than our current state of politics.”
“I’m running to offer an alternative for the better of the people in the state of Utah — a government that prioritizes public good over personal interests, that delivers results rather than just rhetoric and that reflects and displays courage and character, rather than just fighting with each other and going to our corners,” he said.
Caroline Gleich wins Democratic Senate nomination to run for Utah Sen. Mitt Romney’s seat
Mountaineer and environmental activist Caroline Gleich became the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Sen. Mitt Romney, a Republican.
Gleich, who is also a social media influencer, advances to the June 25 Democratic primary, where she will not face any opponents.
At a relatively young 38 years old, Gleich was able to raise almost $400,000 in the first few months of this year, while spending almost $300,000 of that money. She will face the Republican nominee who wins the party’s primary, and several third-party candidates.
In a statement released after the Democratic convention on Saturday, Gleich said she was “honored to officially accept the Democratic nomination to be Utah’s next Senator.”
“We’re running a historically strong campaign focused on our families, our freedom, and our future,” Gleich’s statement continued. “As your nominee, I’m excited to take our message directly to Utahns as we move into the general election. As a ski mountaineer who has climbed the highest mountains in the world against all odds, I’m no stranger to a tough challenge and am ready to take this campaign to the summit in November. I’m asking Utahns who are looking for a different kind of leader in Washington to join me.”
U.S. House Democratic nominees in Utah
The Democratic nominees who will advance to the general election for seats in the U.S. House of Representatives include:
Utah’s 1st District Democratic nominee is Bill Campbell. The Republican incumbent is Rep. Blake Moore.
Utah’s 2nd District Democratic nominee is Brian Adams. The Republican incumbent is Rep. Celeste Maloy.
Utah’s 3rd District Democratic nominee is Glenn Wright. This is an open seat after Rep. John Curtis decided to run for Senate.
Utah’s 4th District Democratic nominee is Katrina Fallick-Wang. The Republican incumbent is Rep. Burgess Owens.
Utah attorney general Democratic nominee
The convention delegates chose Rudy Bautista ahead of David Carlson to run in Utah’s open attorney general race. Bautista will face a Republican and third-party nominees in November.
The incumbent attorney general, Republican Sean Reyes, is not running for reelection.
Correction: An earlier version of this article said Caroline Gleich is 39. She is 38.
